Joey sighed as Pacey stared sullenly at the chalkboard. “It’s not that hard.”

“What does that symbol mean?”

“Which one?”

Pacey slide off his stool and approached the board. Pointing to the mark in question, he looked over at Joey. “That one.”

“Oh God. You’re going to fail so miserably. Don’t tell anyone I tutored you, okay? Because I really don’t want anyone to think I had anything to do with you being so hopeless.”

“Thanks for that vote of confidence.”

“Tell me the truth, Pacey, have you retained one ounce of the information I’ve gone over with you? Do you even know what math is?”

“This is all Andie’s fault. If she’d just left me alone, I’d be back in business math where I belong, not here trying to figure out what the hell spherical trigonometry means to me.”

“Would you please stop putting yourself down?” Joey gave him an exasperated glare. “That’s my job and I don’t like the competition.”

Pacey leaned his head against the chalkboard. “I’m never going to get this. I don’t know why I have to get this. Can’t I just be stupid again? Do I have to keep pretending that I’m somewhat intelligent?”

“You’re not pretending, Pacey.” Joey grabbed his chin and turned his face toward hers. “You are intelligent. Otherwise, our fights would be completely one-sided and I wouldn’t have nearly as much fun. You’re just going to have to face the facts that, no matter how much you protest, I’m going to drag you kicking and screaming toward a passing grade.”

“It’s not going to work, Jo. No matter what you do, no matter what you say, no matter how well it rhymes, chex mix ain’t sex and therefore, it ain’t motivational.”

“I added extra peanuts.”

He sighed and wrote a dirty word on the board with his finger. “And as much as peanuts sounds like…”

“Okay, I get it. You’re not going to learn this because you simply aren’t getting any. So all we have to do to actually get this to stay in your brain is find some nice, nubile, brainless girl to ride you like a bronco after you get an answer right.”

“Hell, if she’s nubile and brainless, I say we screw the math and…well, I screw her.”

“If I can find you a date, Pacey, will you at least try to do this?”

“I don’t want a date, Joey.”

“I know. I know all about the sordid deal you had with Jen and I know how it turned out. You just want cheap, easy, mindless sex to relieve all the frustration of studying.”

“Right. And you have to admit that studying is frustrating because, well, look at you.”

“What about me?”

He ignored her dangerous tone. “You’re wound up tighter than a violin string. I’m simply deducing that it has something to do with all the studying, because I know all that sexual tension couldn’t have anything to do with little, ole me.”

“Little being the operative word,” she tossed over her shoulder as she turned away from him.

Pacey wrapped his arm around her neck, pulling her back against him. “Now, Miss Potter, you shouldn’t go around insulting someone’s manhood. It’s a dangerous thing.”

“Is it?” Joey was surprised at the breathless tone of her voice, surprised at how affected she was by him.

“Makes a man want to prove himself.”

“Well, since you’re nowhere near a man, I guess I’m pretty safe.” She ducked out of his grip and turned to face him, laughter dancing in her eyes. “But I’ll tell you what, Pace. In an effort to resuscitate your grade, I’ll make you a deal.”

“What’s that?”

“You do…ten problems right, showing your work, I’ll take you out somewhere where you might actually have a chance of scoring.”

“You know a place like that, Jo? And you’ve been holding out on me why?”

“I got an invitation to a party this weekend. One of the sororities is looking to score brownie points with the college dean, so they’re inviting some of the freaks and geeks of the high school world to a fancy soiree. I got invited because my grades made me impossible to ignore, no matter how hard they tried. I don’t want to go, but I have to.”

“Scholarship?”

“Scholarship.”

“So…I would be invited as your…? Dare I say date?”

“You could, but it’s liable to get you castrated.”

“So then…what? I’m afraid I’m lost.”

“I need a ride. I need a getaway car. I need someone to mock them with.” She shrugged. “And since you’re the closest thing I have to a girlfriend…”

“Ouch.”

“I thought I’d use you. And in return, you get to ogle and maybe even touch the lily white skin of some debutante.” She looked up at him. “Who knows? Maybe you’ll even manage to score off of Mindy or Mandy or Buffy or Muffy or whatever the latest name is in Bimbo-land.”

“You know, if I didn’t know you better, I’d say you were jealous of the fact that I might be feeling up the next Miss Capeside.”

“They’re not from Capeside.”

“Even better.” Pacey raised his eyebrows suggestively. “Ten questions?”

“That’s all.”

“Okay. Now, I’m startin’ to feel a little motivated.”

Joey grabbed another beer from the huge barrel and carried it back to the corner. She’d been standing there, alone most of the night, simply watching everyone. If this was what college was like…well, thank goodness she had about as much chance of being asked to join a sorority as Pacey did of winning Valedictorian.

“Are you having fun?”

She looked up at the strange voice. The girl was brunette, a little taller than she was, with huge green eyes. “Uh…sure.”

“Because you look bored out of your skull.”

“Well, there’s that option too.” Joey gave her a confused look. “I’m…uh…Joey. Joey Potter.”

“I’m Jessica. And you hate it here. Which is pretty typical of this kind of gathering. We invite a ton of people who have nothing but disdain for who we are and throw a party to celebrate the fact that they gang up in the kitchen and talk about math and science while we hang out here and giggle about make-up and sex.” She grinned at Joey’s look. “At least, that’s the popular consensus.”

“Well, how do you explain me then?” Managing a smile, Joey tilted her head. “I’m not in the kitchen, I’m not at the keg.”

“Nope. You’re in the corner, watching the guy you came with flirt with just about anything in a skirt. Or, well, to be honest, anything with breasts, since a few of the girls aren’t wearing skirts. Which leads me to wonder if he’s an experiment, or if you’re jealous.”

“I’m not jealous.”

“Because if he’s an experiment, I have to warn you that a lot of girls are going to be signing up to be his lab rats. Most likely, me included. But if you’re jealous, I’m going to warn you that you’re treading on dangerous ground.”

“I’m not jealous.”

“Because that girl he’s talking to is the biggest barracuda in this sorority. And she’s about to sink her teeth into him, take him upstairs and get him to sink something into her.” Jessica shook her head as Joey’s face changed. “I’d say you have about 30 seconds before she takes his hand and leads him up the stairs. And…what did you say your name was?”

“Joey. Joey Potter.”

“And Joey? If he’s half as good as he promises? She’ll be the first, but she won’t be the last.”

“What the *fuck* are you doing, Potter?” Pacey shook off Joey’s iron grip and shoved her away from him. He glared at her in the sparkling white Christmas lights the sorority had strung up in the back garden and pulled off his sweater at the same time. “Christ, you’ve gone out of your fucking mind, haven’t you?”

“Would you believe I was rescuing you?” She looked apologetic and meek at the same time.

“From what?” He wrung the beer she’d dumped on him out of his sweater and tossed it over the edge of a chair. “Actually *getting* what I came here for?”

“I thought you came to laugh and mock with me.”

“No, Joey. I came to romance the lovely college ladies.” He shook his head and looked down at his T-shirt, which was just as drenched as his sweater had been. “Only now I smell like a brewery.” He pulled the shirt off as well. “And you owe me more than just a simple answer.”

“One of the girls told me that the girl you were talking to was…is…well, she’s not the kind of girl you bring home to your mother.”

“I don’t want to bring her home, Jo. I wanted her to take me home.”

“They were talking about passing you around, Pacey.”

He shook his head in disbelief, “And why would that be a bad thing? This is what I came here for Joey. This is what you promised me. Ten problems. I got them all right. I showed my work. I didn’t cheat. I understood the math. I get the math, I get laid. That’s what you promised me.”

“It shouldn’t just be about sex.”

“No, Joey, you’re right.” He started pacing, his irritation with her growing with every step. “But sex is about all I’ve got right now. Only I don’t have that because you dumped a beer on me and started raving like some freaking lunatic wondering how I could do this to you when you’re carrying my child.”

“Sorry?”

“Which means my night of sexual bliss has, once again, been sidetracked by you. Not only that but, once again, you’ve ruined the chances of reaping any of that sexual bliss completely.” Pacey stopped in front of her, his bare chest rising and falling rapidly as his anger built. “Why can’t you, for once, just stay the hell out of the way of my sex life?”

“I interrupted you and Jen. Sorry about that.” She smirked. “But I don’t recall anyone ever suggesting that sex in a public place was the best idea. After all, it got you and Miss Jacobs in nothing but trouble.”

Pacey pointed his finger at her, his anger close to boiling over. “You’re a sanctimonious bitch, Josephine.”

“Well, you’re an oversexed, inconsiderate bastard.” She crossed her hands over her chest and took a step back, away from his accusatory stance. “I was trying to save you.”

“I don’t need saving.”

“What do you need then, Pacey?”

He squeezed his eyes closed and clenched his fists. “Aaaah,” he groaned. “God, I thought it was obvious. I. Need. Sex.” He punctuated each word with a hard poke against Joey’s sternum. “Sex, Joey. Can I make it any clearer?”

She grabbed his finger and pulled it away from her, twisting his arm back. Pacey glared at her, his body moving involuntarily closer to hers. Her hazel eyes were bright with anger and something like hurt. “Just sex? Any body will do?”

“Yes,” he snapped. “Hell, I’d even take you.”

He barely heard her speak before her lips found his, hard and demanding. “Promise?”

Pacey moved forward, pinning Joey against the wall of the house. His hands were on her shoulders, holding her against the hard wood, his leg slipping between hers. She groaned, grinding down against his thigh, her whole body on fire. Pushing him back a little, she wrapped her legs around him, forcing him to support her with his weight. His hands cupped her ass and he hefted her higher.

Her hands laced through his hair, massaging his scalp, as their lips and bodies ground together.

Joey clenched the muscles of her thighs, pressing the pulsing heat of her body firmly against Pacey’s hardness. Pulling back from the kiss, she sucked hard on his lower lip before taking it between her teeth.

Pacey groaned, his knees trembling. His fingers dug into the firm, supple skin of her ass, pulling her forward as he thrust against her.

They broke apart, both panting for air. The minute he saw her eyes, almost black with desire, he jerked away, practically dropping her in the process.

Joey unlocked her legs from around him, uncertainty replacing desire as Pacey backed away from her. “What the hell was that, Potter?”

She crossed her arms over her chest, immediately on the defensive. “You’re the one with all the experience. You tell me.”

“Oh, that’s just great.” He smirked at her and threw his hands up. “You practically attack me on the lawn and *I’m* the bad guy. Christ.” He grabbed his shirt and sweater and headed back for the sorority house.

“Where are you going?”

“None of your damn business.”

She followed him, practically running to keep up with his quick strides. “You’re my ride home.”

He shook his head in disbelief, his smile almost cruel. “Who said I was going home?”

Joey stopped, her expression closing down. “Fine. I’ll be in the car. Make sure you clean up when you’re done. I don’t feel like smelling you all the way home.”

He moved close to her before she could react, his lips practically brushing hers. “Settle in for a long night, Joey. I don’t plan on being finished any time soon.”

Pacey walked toward the bathroom, feeling the heat of everyone’s stare. He played up to the attention, making sure to smile at the women he’d been hitting on earlier that night, knowing that Joey was watching. Closing the door behind him, he dropped the casual façade and leaned against the sink, staring at himself in the mirror.

He looked hunted. His blue eyes were dark and hurt, his lips tender from the hunger in her kisses. Taking a deep breath, he turned on the water and washed his face and chest, washing the smell of beer and the residual heat of Joey from his skin.

The knock took him by surprise. Grabbing a towel off the stack near the sink, he ran it over his damp chest before opening the door. One of the girls stood there, smiling. “I thought you could use this.”

He took the T-shirt from her hand and shook it out, his eyes running over her instead of the material. “I think it might fit nicely.”

She licked her lips and stepped inside the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. “You think your little girlfriend’s going to mind me being all…” she paused as she snapped the lock. “…locked in here with you?”

“She’s not my girlfriend.”

“She seems to think otherwise.” Her hand settled on his shoulder before slipping down the expanse of his chest. She stopped when she reached his belt buckle. Casting a look down, she nodded appreciatively. “Although your body seems to agree with you.”

Pacey grinned and raised a hand to touch her soft cascade of blonde hair. “She’s not my girlfriend. And, since she’s not in the room with us, I think we should just stop talking about her and start worrying about us.” He bent his head, lifting her hair so that he could smell it. “And exactly how you know what my body is thinking.”

Her hand finally slipped lower and she cupped his erection. Pacey buried his face in the curve of her neck, seeking out the sensitive spot beneath her ear. “It’s talking loud and clear,” she whispered, her fingers easily unfastening his jeans.

Pacey made a soft noise as her hand slipped inside the denim, rubbing along the outside of his boxers. He nibbled the warm skin of her earlobe, his tongue dancing along the shell of her ear. “What’s your name?”

“Josie.”

Pacey froze then pulled back quickly. He stared at the blonde haired, blue eyed girl in front of him and saw the brown haired girl he’d come with. “Josie. Short for…?”

“Josephine.” She looked at him as if he’d grown another head. “Is there a problem?”

Pacey laughed incredulously. “No. No problem.” He carefully removed her hand from his rapidly diminishing erection and stepped away. “It’s just that my…not girlfriend seems to be haunting me.”

“She turn you off as quickly as I do?”

“Josie?” Pacey stroked his thumb over her cheek softly. “You weren’t the one who turned me on.”

Joey ignored Pacey as he climbed into the truck. He gave her a quick look and sighed before turning to stare out the windshield. Tightening his grip on the steering wheel he let out a long sigh. “So, how’s this gonna play out, Potter?”

“Just take me home.”

He turned the key in the ignition and sat there, letting the silence build up between them. After several minutes, he turned it off again. “All right, let’s just forget about it, okay? I pretend you didn’t kiss me, you pretend I didn’t squeeze your ass. It was all a bad, sorority induced nightmare, reminiscent of one of Dawson’s bad movies and you and I are just back to being mortal enemies, okay?”

He watched her out of the corner of his eye as she brushed away an angry tear. Her face was flushed red, even in the pale light of the moon. “If there’s one thing I learned from my myriad of breakups with Dawson Leery, Pacey, it’s that you can’t go back. You can’t pretend it never happened.”

“We didn’t have some sort of soulful connection here, Jo. We kissed. People do it all the time. Doesn’t always mean something.”

“What if it meant something to me?”

Pacey’s eyes widened and he turned to look at her. “What?”

“Nothing. Take me home.”

He took her chin in his hand and forced her to meet his eyes. “Did it?” His voice was demanding, yet gentle. “Did it mean something to you?”

“In all the years you’ve known me, Pacey,” Joey’s voice held a note of self-deprecating laughter. “Have you ever known me to do anything remotely emotional without some sort of dire consequence? Without some outpouring of emotion? Without…”

He leaned in, capturing her words in his kiss, pressing his lips softly to hers. The kiss was nothing like the other. This one was warm and tender, gentle and searching, questioning and exploring. Joey sighed softly, moving across the seat to be nearer to him, wrapping her hands over his shoulder to pull him closer.

Pacey moved forward, letting her guide him down on top of her, feeling the soft crush of her breasts beneath his chest. He ran his tongue along the roof of her mouth and Joey gasped, pulling back slightly. He held her eyes as his hand moved down to smooth her body under his, getting her to lie flat across the front seat of the truck.

Joey flushed nervously, embarrassed with herself. She’d been grinding against him with wild abandon in the back yard and yet here, the tender emotion seemed overwhelming and uncomfortable. Pacey sensed her change in mood and tilted his head, “What?”

“It’s…it’s nothing.” Joey pushed at his chest, wriggling her body out from under his. “Never mind. Forget I said anything.”

“I can’t do that.” Pacey sat up, his hurt written plainly across his face.

“Oh, come on Pacey. You were willing to walk into a party full of women you don’t know and find one to fuck. Forgetting me should be just as easy as forgetting one of them.” She imitated a giggle, lacing it with mockery. “There. Pretend I’m Mitzi.”

Pacey turned the key in the ignition and jerked the wheel of the car. The car leapt out into the street, recklessly speeding through the thin traffic. Pacey’s mouth was set in a thin line and he refused to look at Joey.

“Pacey? I’d rather not die this evening, if you don’t mind.”

He slowed the car to a crawl. “Right. Wouldn’t want your last meaningless romantic encounter to be with someone as undesirable as me.” He gave her a scathing look then pressed on the gas pedal, edging the speedometer up over 100. He wove through traffic and the streets, his eyes occasionally darting over to Joey. She was holding the door handle tightly, a very real fear in her eyes.

Joey was so intent on watching Pacey, praying that he wouldn’t kill them both, she didn’t realize that she knew where he was headed until he slammed the brakes just down the driveway from Dawson’s house.

“Home at last.” He let the car idle, not looking at her. “Go have a meaningful sexual encounter with him, all right, Joey? I’ll be back at the sorority if you need me.”

“You would, wouldn’t you?” She glared at him as she fumbled with the seatbelt. “You’d just go back there and nail the next girl willing to spread her legs for you.”

Pacey’s hand snaked out and grabbed her chin, his fingers digging into the soft flesh. He held her eyes with his electric blue gaze. “You obviously know so much about me, Josephine. Figure it all out for yourself. I’m through with this.” He released her and turned back to staring out the windshield.

Joey felt tears sting her eyes and she opened the car door. “Have fun, Pacey.”

“I’ve got to find something to make up for all the time I’ve been spending with you.” He pealed out, spraying her with dust and dirt from the driveway as he spun the car around. Joey stared after him; the pain in her eyes a reflection of his.

Pacey flopped down on his bed and threw his arm over his eyes. His high-speed trek through the streets of Capeside had done nothing to alleviate the sexual tension that was like a living thing inside him.

Growling, he got up and yanked his T-shirt over his head. Kicking off his shoes, he shed his pants just as quickly.

“Damn it,” Pacey cursed under his breath. He stormed over and locked his door, pacing the room. “Damn you.” He fell back on his bed again. “God, I hate you.” Cursing her all the while, Pacey gave in and eased his boxers down. Closing his eyes, he remembered the hot feel of her pressed against him as he let one hand smooth over his erection.

“All those couple dance lessons and here you are, dancing with yourself.”

Pacey grabbed for the sheet, pulling it over him as his eyes snapped open. She was perched on his windowsill, smiling knowingly. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Nothing as interesting as what you’re doing.” She entered his room; her eyes focused on the sheet that covered him. “Or were about to do.”

“Joey,” he sat up, leaning against the headboard of his bed. “Go away.”

She walked to the foot of the bed and caught the sheet between her fingers. “Did I do that to you?”

Her voice seemed honestly curious. He opened one eye and gazed at her. Her dark hair was falling around her face, backlit by the moonlight. “I don’t know, Jo. You attack me at the party, turn on me, kiss me in the truck, then ask me to pretend it never happened.” He smirked and gestured to the bulge under the sheet. “This is how it never happened.”

She tugged on the sheet, bringing it down to his waist, the hem clinging to the tip of his erection.

Pacey grabbed the sheet. “Josephine.”

She released it, holding her hands up in surrender. “Okay.” She lowered her hands and grabbed the hem of her shirt. She pulled it over her head, tossing it onto Pacey’s chest.

The soft scent of her settled over him. He grabbed the shirt and threw it back at her. “Go home, Joey.”

She let the shirt fall to the floor, reaching around to unhook her bra. “You want me to leave?” She let the straps slide down her arms, the wispy lace joining her shirt on the floor.

Pacey gulped for air, his body tightening. His cock twitched and the sheet slipped to his thighs. “Yeah.”

She unfastened her jeans and pushed them over her hips. “Okay.” Stepping out of them, she stood in front of him wearing nothing but a pair of panties that she quickly discarded. “I’ll just go then.”

Pacey tensed his thigh muscles, his fingers curling into the sheet beneath him. His eyes locked on her long, lithe body. “That…you should do that,” he whispered.

“I should.” She nodded, kneeling on the bed and straddling his ankles. “You’re right.”

He pursed his lips together, struggling to control his breathing, to keep from grabbing her. She moved forward on her knees, pulling the sheet down as she went.

“Because, if I don’t go home, it’s going to be really hard…” Trailing one finger along his erection from tip to base, she paused to enjoy the double entendre. “To pretend this never happened.”

“Jo,” he gasped.

Her fingers trailed up his thighs, smiling as she felt his control slipping away. She brushed her thumbs over the smooth skin of his lower stomach, and Pacey gave in, grabbing her hands and pulling her down on top of him.

He stared up at her, the feel of her breasts crushed to his chest, her velvet skin caressing the length of him. He held her hands above their heads, his thumbs running over her frantic pulse. “Go home, Joey.” His voice was soft. “Please?”

She moved slightly, rubbing against him as she brushed his lips with hers. “No.”

Pacey groaned and, with his last ounce of control, rolled her onto her side, released her and got off the bed, tugging his boxers up as he went. “Go, okay? I don’t want this. Not like this.”

She followed him off the bed and grabbed her clothes off the floor. Tossing them onto the bed, she grabbed her underwear and pulled it on then yanked the T-shirt over her head. Her whole body was tight with anger. “You said any body,” she faced him, her eyes hurt. “Why not mine?”

“Because.” Pacey sighed and turned away from her, the sight of her barely clad body just as tempting, just as dangerous. “I want it too much.”

Joey let her jeans fall from her hand and approached him slowly, walking around so that they faced each other. “Then take it.” She touched his chin, raising his eyes to hers. “Please?”

Pacey’s hand wrapped around her neck and pulled her close, their lips meeting, hot and demanding. His tongue snaked around hers as his fingers dug into the base of her skull, tilting her head to give him better access to her mouth.

Joey mewled softly, her hand running down his back, her nails softly scraping over his skin. Pacey arched his back, breaking the kiss as their bodies thrust together, the thin layers of cloth separating them.

Her hands slipped under the waistband of his boxers, caressing the skin beneath it as she brought her hands around between them.

She held his gaze as she eased the material away from his body, kneeling as she guided it down his legs. He stepped out of the boxers, watching her with disbelieving eyes as she reached out to touch him.

Her fingers were tentative as they brushed over the tip of his erection. Her cool skin was like a balm, soothing the feverish blood that seemed to pound through his veins.

She raised her eyes to his, searching his gaze for emotion – for approval, for desire. Gone was the ballsy, brash girl he’d bantered with all his life. Gone was the brave young woman he was slowly falling in love with. Gone was the jealous vixen that had attacked him earlier.

In her place was…Joey. Just Joey. The girl he’d hated and admired in equal measure, her confusion and uncertainty not masked by the longing in her eyes.

“Joey,” he brushed her hair back from her face with one hand, stroking her cheek as he knelt down as well. He kissed her tenderly, demanding nothing and offering everything.

When he pulled away, he smiled at her, tilting his head toward the bed. She nodded, grateful for his unspoken understanding.

Her legs shook as she stood, her earlier bravado gone. Pacey stood as well, taking her hand and walking the short distance with her.

She sat on the edge of the bed and grabbed her shirt. Pacey stilled her hands. Shaking his head, he pushed her back gently. Joey lay down, her hazel eyes intent on him as he reached over and switched on the radio.

Pacey walked to the foot of the bed and knelt at Joey’s feet. He felt slightly self-conscious from her unwavering gaze, but the sight of her, sprawled out before him distracted him from it.

He slid his hands along the inside of her calves up to her knees. With the softest of pressure, he parted her legs, inching his way closer. Joey shivered, her whole body tingling from his touch, a slow aching heat uncurling in her stomach, slipping lower and expanding through her body.

His hands edged higher, gliding over the silky skin of her inner thigh. Joey gasped, opening her legs wider. Pacey accepted the silent invitation, bending forward and placing a kiss just above his hand.

Joey’s eyes drifted closed, her body arching toward him. Pacey traced the kiss with his tongue, the taste of her – hot and sexy, sweaty and sweet – overloaded his senses and he pulled back slightly.

His body ached with wanting her, but he knew if the taste of her skin overwhelmed him, he stood no chance of lasting should he give in to temptation and taste anything else.

Her hands reached for him, and he tried to shake off his own insistent need. He leaned into her, giving her another warm kiss, this time on the exposed strip of skin between her panties and T-shirt.

Joey writhed on the sheets, clutching them as he had done what seemed like a lifetime ago. He kissed her again, nudging the shirt out of his way with his nose as he worked his way up her stomach, leaving a trail of fire in his wake.

Her hands left the sheets to work their way through Pacey’s hair. Her fingers wove through the short, dark strands, massaging his scalp as he crawled along her body, his tongue tracing patters of desire as he sought out the delicate skin of her breasts.

His hands supported his weight, only allowing minimal contact between their bodies, afraid if he felt her; he would get lost in her.

He licked the underside of one breast, making his way up to the rosy tip. Curving his tongue around it, he suckled gently. Joey panted; inhaling sharply as his teeth grazed the hardened skin. Her hands left his hair, raking down his back pressing down, urging him to touch her.

Pacey pulled back, releasing her reluctantly. Joey moaned in protest until his hands smoothed over her ribcage, lifting her before guiding her shirt off of her body.

Kneeling before her, he buried his head in her chest again, seeking out the opposite nipple this time, his arms wrapped around her, holding her captive.

Joey imitated his hold on her, winding her hands around his body, exploring the unfamiliar contours with inquisitive fingers.

Breaking away from the tender succulence, Pacey pulled back, gasping for air. The alabaster skin was warm and swollen, dark with passion.

He met Joey’s eyes, searching for reservations. She met his gaze evenly, her eyes shining in the moonlight. Swallowing hard, Pacey leaned forward, pushing her back down onto the bed. He fumbled in the darkness, practically yanking the drawer out of his nightstand. He felt around blindly, trying to ignore Joey’s finger’s playing with the short hairs on the nape of his neck, as he searched for the pack of condoms he knew was there.

His fingers finally found purchase and he sighed in heartfelt relief. He pulled away from her touch and tore the package open carefully.

Funny. His hands had never shaken before.

Joey watched his every movement with hungry eyes, forcing Pacey to pay close attention to what he was doing. He shivered as the cool lubricant sheathed his cock. Sliding his hands under her legs, he draped them over his thighs, opening her up to him.

Resisting the urge to enter her, he brushed the swollen lips of her labia with his thumb, reveling in her quiet moan of pleasure. Teasing them apart slowly, he slipped one finger inside her. Joey’s body tightened around the intrusion, and she let out a soft breath.

He waited for her to relax before moving it leisurely, stroking the slick walls, rubbing the sensitized flesh. Joey bit her lower lip, bracing her feet against the bed to raise herself up to him.

Pacey nodded and pressed another finger inside her. Crooking them at the first knuckle, he let the blunt edge of his fingernails tease the top wall of her passage.

Joey shivered, her entire body shaking with reaction as he repeated the gesture, coupling it with a teaching brush of his thumb across her swollen clitoris.

Pacey carefully removed his fingers from inside her. Smoothing them over his aching erection, he guided the tip to her opening, watching her eyes as she felt the slight pressure.

Raising up, Pacey moved forward slowly, sliding carefully inside her. She gasped and he stopped, waiting until she moved to push again.

Short, shallow strokes stretched her, letting her adjust to him. Pacey swallowed hard as he thrust further forward and felt resistance.

He stopped moving, the enormity of the situation crashing down around him. His mind blocked out the feel of her tight around him, it blocked out the heat that bathed him, it blocked out the driving need to be part of her, to find the parts of himself he’d lost inside her and become whole again.

“Joey…”

She touched his lips, quieting him. “Please? Please Pacey?”

The sound of his name, whispered with passion and longing, aching with need took his breath away, and he pressed forward.

Joey hissed, sucking air between her teeth, drawing strength from Pacey’s comforting weight. They lay still until she moved her hips experimentally, pressing her body up against his.

With a shuddering sigh, Pacey began moving. His smooth, even strokes filled her, easing the pain away and replacing it with mounting pleasure. She moved with him, tentative at first, until she found his rhythm and matched it, meeting him with every thrust.

Pacey concentrated on the movement, building the pleasure for her slowly, fighting his own instincts and desires. The urge to abandon his control and find his own release beat at his brain, hazy memories of spent satiation taunting him.

But the brief eternity of pleasure was nothing compared to the soul-searing heat that ensheathed him, the tight willingness with which her body accepted him. Prolonged agony of fulfilled fantasy warred with the tantalizing glow of instant gratification. Compromising, he increased his pace, his breath thickening as he drove them both closer to the edge. Joey was whimpering quietly, her eyes glazed with pleasure as she wrapped her legs over his and thrust against him wildly.

Pacey groaned and dug his nails into the mattress as she constricted around him, the muscles squeezing his throbbing flesh as the first wave of her orgasm hit him. He was barely breathing, pushing and thrusting fast and hard, edging her even further toward the abyss.

Joey’s nails dug into his back as he ground against her, combining his thrusts with a sweet, demanding pressure on her clitoris. Pacey gasped silently as she broke the skin with her nails, turning her head and sinking her teeth into his arm to muffle her scream.

The impossible pressure surrounding him, mixed with the delicious relief of her climax and the shocking pain in his arm, overloaded Pacey’s nervous system, and his body tensed as he thrust hard one last time, shuddering his way to completion.

His shaking arms gave out, and he fell lightly on top of her. Joey let out a sound, something between a gasp and a giggle. Pacey opened one eye and looked at her. “Something funny, Potter?”

They were words she’d heard a hundred times before, but the emotion made them sound new. “No.”

Pacey moved off of her slowly, his own body weak. He disposed of the condom quickly then just sat there on the edge of the bed. Joey reached over and touched the small trickle of blood making its way down his back. “I’m sorry.”

He flinched at the words, almost as if he’d expected them. “Isn’t that supposed to be my line?”

“You didn’t gouge any of my skin, that I recall. Although, I do have to admit it’s all kind of a blur, so I could be wrong.”

“That’s not what I mean,” he started to stand, but Joey stopped him, placing her hand on his arm.

“Are you sorry?”

“No,” he whispered with a rueful smile.

“Good.” She released his arm and tucked both hands under her head. “So, I’m thinking that was worth a passing grade in math, don’t you?”

His serious expression melted into a typical, smart-ass Pacey smile. “I don’t know. I’m pretty dense. I may need a few more tutoring sessions.”

He lay back down beside her, his hand resting on her upper thigh; his finger and thumb playing with the silky hairs that clung to her damp skin.

Brushing off thoughts of tomorrow, of recriminations, of relationships, of the change this would bring, Joey smiled. “I was just thinking that same thing.”

“Great minds think alike.”

And as simple as that, everything fell into place. Joey arched up toward his hand as she pulled him down to kiss her. “Great minds, huh? What the hell does that have to do with you, Witter?”

04/12/00